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A wide choice of topics covered from the dawn of history right up to present days . Many of these have a wider relevance than purely within the context of Strathearn . The author's viewpoint often is at variance with the accepted opinions espoused elsewhere eg The Jacobite Uprisings and The Reformation .

Dundurn - Ancient Pictish Fort

I mentioned in my “ blog “ of 11 September 2014 ( “Pictish Strathearn and a lost or misplaced
Kingdom !” ) the ancient fort of
Dundurn at St Fillans and its historic past . I made a brief mention of the excavations carried out in 1977/1977 by The University of
Glasgow . In this “ blog “ I will elaborate in more detail what emerged from the dig and the importance of
this odd shaped hill in Strathearn’s violent past !

Where
is Dundurn ?

Dundurn lies adjacent to St Fillans Golf Club . If you
take the road past the Club you come to
the ruined church and graveyard . This is the site of St Fillans Pre Reformation
Chapel which was demolished over 400 years ago and replaced as the mausoleum of the
Stewarts of Ardvorlich .Although now roofless , much remains . Near the door is
an inscribed “A “ which presumably
stands for Ardvorlich . Between the door and window there is a recessed aumbry – the place in the
pre Reformation church where the chalices
for the sacrament were kept . From
the churchyard you obtain a splendid view
of nearby Dundurn .

There is a curious grave stone which was once called the “
Adam and Eve “ stone because the figures
on the front were supposed to represent that
biblical couple and on the reverse ,
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
In reality it commemorates one of a
family of MacGregors for ling , tenants of the farm of West Dundurn nearby . At the time it was erected ( about 1700 ) , the name of
MacGregor was proscribed or outlawed and
the family had taken the name of their laird or feudal superior , namely Drummond .The
tree carved on the back is in fact the MacGregor arms , a pine tree
crossed by a sword bearing a crown on
its point. The initials of Drummond and his wife are carved on the front of the stone .

The
Ancient Citadel

The importance of Dundurn was confirmed by the archaeological
excavations carried out as mentioned above by the late Leslie Alcock of Glasgow
University in 1976 /77. This “ dig “ confirmed the historical data that had
been preserved about the hill
and its strategic position between
Pictish Strathearn and the Celtic Kingdom of Dalriata . Dundurn was mentioned
in “ The Annals of Ulster “ in 683 AD and was
identified in 1898 as being the
capital of the Pictish Kingdom of
Fortren or Fortriu .In the half century after King Kenneth of Scotland
took over the Kingdom of the Southern Picts , Dundurn was a royal seat .We
also know that prior to this the Scottish Regnal Lists state that Grig son of Dungal “ died in Dundurn “ .

History of course is
often subject to error and misinterpretation . That is why the archaeological work carried out by Professor Alcock and his team nearly
forty years ago is of great importance
in the confirmation of our historical
knowledge .

I quote from the interim report prepared by the archaeologists and which is
in my possession :

“ The hill bares traces of very ruinous stone walls ,
apparently in the form of a citadel surrounded by defended terraces .These
remains have long been identified as the Dundurn mentioned as under siege in
the Iona Annal for AD 683 . Although it is nearly 25 kilometres west of the
most westerly Pictish symbol stone in
the valley , it seems likely that it was the time an outpost of Pictish power ,
serving to guard the main west- east
route from Dunollie , Dunstaffnage and
Dunadd in Dalriada to the Pictish
centres of Scone and Perth . Two generations after Kenneth mac A;lpin’s
unification of the Kingdoms of the Picts and
the Scots . Girg mac Dungal was killed at Dundurn in AD 889 , apparently while suppressing a
Pictish rising . “

In July 1976 and 1977 , the team worked on the hill and
confirmed that on the summit was a dun – like structure about 20 metres x 15 metres internally ,
defended by a nailed timber – laced wall with a probable radio
– carbon date after 650 AD . On a terrace below this were timber buildings . It
was ascertained that the dun ( fort ) had
been destroyed by fire and the summit had been re fortified with a dry stone rampart , while the natural
terraces lower down the hill were also
massively defended .

“
Portable objects were scanty , but were
consistent with an aristocratic occupation in the Early Historic ( Pictish )
period . Particularly notable were well preserved timbers , wattling and other vegetable
matter , apparently belonging to wooden buildings which may have even pre – dated the construction of the Dun .Also
found were a decorated leather shoe , a base silver belt – fastener with an animal ornament , and a glass
dome with spiral inlays and bosses “

“
The summit had been defended by a
timber reinforced dry – stone rampart . This
had been burned and the rubble subsequently
dragged down the hill . A concentration of burnt debris
still in position suggested a
width of 4 metres . Immediately to the rear were two distinct levels of heavy
paving , probably corresponding to the
two periods in the defences . The wall of what may be described as
the “ Primary Dun “ had three
remarkable characteristics . Firstly ,
to judge from the debris , timber work , including both oak beams
and hazel whattling, had
comprised a major part of the
structure . Secondly the timbers had been secured with iron nails of which 90
were found in Cut 001. The only other finding of this technique was found at
the Pictish stronghold of Burghead Moray
.Thirdly , much of the rubble used in the first period of paving, and
presumably in the primary defence as well , consisted of blocks and slabs of
old red sand stone . On geological grounds , it seems that these had been quarried some 15 kilometres from Dundurn. This
suggests a wide command of resources on the part of the fort builders .

Radio
carbon dating was carried out on the oak beams and hazel twigs from the primary rampart .Usin MASCA calibration , at the 95% confidence level ,
the earliest possible date for the building is AD 650 . The conclusion is
that the Primary Dun was besieged in AD 683
having been built a decade or two
earlier as the east ward advance of the Scots began to seriously impinge on the heartland of the southern Picts .

The excavations
were now carried out a lower level and findings
included burnt timbers ,
rubble and occasional nails . Below
these were a deep layer of vegetable matter
including broken timbers , twigs , bark
, wood shavings , grasses , ferns and
mosses all which suggested collapsed
roofing or other debris . At the
base they discovered sheets of wickerwork
pinned down by vertical pegs and
solid beams of oak and other timbers
carefully fitted into one another . That these
timbers were structural was
proven by the presence of clay lined
stone slab tank . Within the limits of the excavation , no coherent plans
could be established but it is possible that the tank , wickerwork and beams
belonged to the buildings on the top most terrace under the protection of the Primary Dun .

Stone rubble and massive boulders were found behind the
inner face of the terrace wall . It
was deduced that this rubble and the large stones were deliberately place there not long aftger
the wall had been built in order to
support the face which was already showing signs of collapse . Twigs of
charcoal dfrom this rubble were carbon
dated and suggested the wall had an earliest possibility date of AD 760 . In historical terms this
suggest that some time after the early 8th Century , Pictish ascendancy over Dalriada had been lost
and that it had been necessary to re
fortify Dundurn , this time with massive walls enclosing terraces all around the hill in addition to the citadel .The conclusion
reached was that these terraces had been
cultivated with crops and confirm th
agrarian economic base of the
Pictish people .

St Fillans Well

In the 1976 dig the archaeologists excavated what was
thought to be St Fillans Well To quote
from their report : “ In Cut 601 ,
about half the supposed well – basin was
cleared out . No excavated well was
discovered , nor was there any trace of
a spring , but it was evident that water
collected in a natural hollow in the
rock immediately after rainfall: that is
under normal Highland weather
conditions . This rock
hollow had been walled round at
two different periods . The only finds
were recent coins of low
denominations , but the well is known to
have been cleaned out by village children within the last decade . “

St Fillans Well was a popular place
for pilgrims to come prior
to Dundurn being developed as a fort . Early Christians seemed to have
a strong affinity to holy wells
and the reputation of Munster man St Faolan or Fillan was widespread . There is
an interesting account of the Well published by a Presbyterian Minister , the Rev William
Marshall DD of Coupar Angus in 1880 . It smacks of the narrow minded Calvanistic attitudes to the Catholic , Pre Reformation , Church but
if one ignores this inbred
bias it is an interesting account
!

Historic
Scenes of Perthshire (Marshall, 1880)

Parish
of Comrie

As
we approach Loch Earn, we come to a scene consecrated by its connection with
the famous St Fillan, who evangelised the country here and in the wilds of
Breadalbane, and whose arm did such wonders on the field of Bannockburn. The
beautiful hill covered with verdure to the top, and the green of which
contrasts so strikingly with the brown and the grey of the adjacent heights, is
Dunfillan, the hill of St Fillan. The rock on the top of it was the Saint’s
Chair. The spring, now days at the foot of the it, was the Saint’s Well. It was
originally on the top of the hill; but, disgusted with the Reformation from
Popery, which, like Archbishop Laud, it regarded as rather the “ Deformation “,
it removed to the foot of the hill. St Fillan drank of the waters of this Well,
and blessed them. The consequence was that they were endowed with miraculous
healing powers; and, till even a late date, crowds resorted to them for cures,
more especially on the first day of May and the first day of August. They
walked, or, if unable to walk, they were carried around the well three times
from east to west, in the direction of the sun; and they drank of it and were
bathed in it. Then, as now, rheumatism was a peculiarly obstinate malady; and
for a cure, rheumatic patients had to ascend the hill, sit in the Saint’s
Chair, lie down on their backs, and be pulled by the legs down to the foot of
the hill. The Well was an infallible remedy for most of the diseases, which
flesh, is heir to. It was especially efficacious for barrenness, for which it
was most frequented. When it was at the
hilltop, the Saint most considerately and kindly spared certain patients the
labour of climbing to it. He made a basin, which he placed at the foot of the
hill, inn that there was generally some water even in the driest weather; and
those afflicted with sore eyes had only to wash them three times in the basin,
and they were made whole.

Finds
in the Dig

The Report describes in some detail what was found in the “ dig “ and included
sketches of these to illustrate
them more graphically ( see below ) .

In
both years , small finds were relatively scarce but tended
to be of distinctly high quality . Outstanding from Period 1 was
a leather shoe from the vegetable layer . This was well preserved , except that the stitching had gone . It was a one
piece turn- shoe , with all- over stamped ornament . Other finds from Period 1 Class
E .

Finds from higher levels may belong to Period 2 , or may be rubbish surviving from Period 1 . They
include glass inlays for the making of jewellery , and the
rim of a glass beaker . Of special
interest was a belt- fastener or strap-
end of base silver . The stem, which has a single rivet ,was ornamented with a
horse’s head with bulging eyes and
nostrils , reminiscent of the horse –
heads on early cruciform brooches . The
free end was in the shape of a letter B
, decorated in low relief with an animal
biting its fore – leg .

The
most remarkable find was unfortunately
made just below the surface . It was a
glass boss . 15 mm high , in the form of a dome
of swirled black and white glass,
decorated with five inlays and five
bosses of blue and white spirals . The base is perforated .
The delicate a nd virtuoso object may have been the head of a pin
, and Irish parallels are known
for this . But it is perhaps more likely
that it was one of a series
of ornamental bosses for a
chalice , crucifix or reliquary .The
design of spiral – decorated bosses ,
massed on a larger boss , finds its closest parallel in the Nigg cross- slab.

Other
more mundane objects included upper stones
from two rotatry Querns ; several whetstones of fine – grained rock ;
parts of two iron padlocks ; and an iron knife- blade of Late Saxon
or Viking type .

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